


For My Darling, I Love You (And I Always Will)

by Rai_Knightshade



Series: The Bradyverse [7]
Category: MacGyver (TV 2016)
Genre: Accidental Baby Acquisition, Cairo Day 2020, Dad Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Dad Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016), Domestic Fluff, Family Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Fluff without Plot, Jack Dalton Loves Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), M/M, Mac and Jack as Dad's, Parental Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Parental Jack Dalton (MacGyver TV 2016), The One Where Eliza Finally Gets Explained, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, some day I'll write fics that aren't just a shameless excuse for fluffy shenanigans, the Sam/Desi is blink-and-you'll miss it (sorry), today is not that day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-14
Updated: 2020-04-14
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:27:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,007
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23645365
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rai_Knightshade/pseuds/Rai_Knightshade
Summary: That time Mac and Jack went on one final mission for the Phoenix as the dads of two kids, and accidentally came back the dads of THREE kids.
Relationships: Jack Dalton/Angus MacGyver (MacGyver TV 2016), Samantha Cage/Desiree "Desi" Nguyen (Mentioned)
Series: The Bradyverse [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1561579
Comments: 15
Kudos: 39





	For My Darling, I Love You (And I Always Will)

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! In honor of Cairo Day 2020, you get some art AND a Fic today! You ever wonder where in the heck that baby came from? Well here's your answer! Featuring Mac and Jack, baby Eliza, Matty, Jill, Sam, and a cameo from Riley!

"I swear to God Matilda, if ya pulled us out of retirement for this super-special mission and there's  _ not even anyone there _ , I'm never speakin' to ya again, ya hear me?"

Angus Macgyver-Dalton just shook his head fondly as he followed his husband through the underbrush, listening to him grouse over the comms. Three years of retirement had been a blessing in disguise, in Mac's opinion at least, so he thought Jack was right to be a bit grouchy, especially since so far there's been no movement in the compound ahead of them.

"Even if there's no one there, Jack Dalton-Macgyver, there could be who knows  _ how _ many traps in there, and I couldn't trust any other agents with the task of defusing those traps. So suck it up, buttercup, you'll be home soon enough anyways." Matty's voice was deadpan, even over the comms.

"Yeah yeah, we better." Jack quieted as they approached the building, which upon closer inspection almost looked deserted. "Sure don't look like the home base of a doomsday science cult, does it?"

Mac nodded slowly. "No... No it doesn't. Riles, you got anything on the cameras?"

"Just-- a second--- there! I'm in! ....And there's no movement inside, either. Where the hell is everyone?" Riley voiced suspiciously. Mac and Jack shared a look.

"Yeah, where is everyone?"

* * *

As the pair entered the building and searched further and further inside, it became increasingly clear that this place had been abandoned in a hurry. Living areas in disarray, a raided kitchen with some now-molding foods left on the counter instead of in the fridge, every room looked like it had been ransacked. Wherever the cult was now, it wasn't here.

After a few minutes of searching and reporting back to the Phoenix, Mac and Jack finally came upon the area they were looking for: the labs. The Phoenix had been tipped off that this particular cult was full of scientists, ones that dabbled in some... Morally ambiguous experimenting. Mac was needed to determine what kind of experiments, while Jack... Well wherever Mac went, his husband followed, simple as that.

"Ok, so we've got the door labelled 'Sterile Laboratory', and another labelled 'Incubation', whatever that means-- no, baby, I don't want a lesson on incubation, don't even start." Mac huffed at his husband's comment, but made no other sound. "How about you check out the lab part, since that's what you're here for, while I check out this other area. You call if you need me though, alright?" Jack looked pointedly at his partner.

"I will. Now go on, I wanna get back to the kids."

Riley cut in. "Both rooms look empty, same as the rest of the facility, so you're clear. Jack, be cautious though; there's something weird about your room, odd looking things on the walls, but I can't quite make out what they are."

"Thanks for the heads-up, Riley-girl!" And with Jack's final comment, they opened their respective doors.

* * *

Mac found himself in a laboratory much like any other he'd been in, with the sterilization room on his left, the lab tables and cases on his right. Straight in front of him, however, was something far more interesting: a freezer, with some liquid nitrogen tanks attached. Mac approached the freezer cautiously, peering in the viewing window to catch a glimpse of what might be inside. "Guys, it looks like we've got a cryogenic freezer in here, and if I had to guess, these containers I'm seeing inside look like the ones used to store frozen egg cells. Which means..." He turned to look at the nitrogen tanks adjacent to him. "These nitrogen tanks next to it are probably full of sperm donations."

His comm unit crackled to life. "I'm running some searches now, but it looks like there have been several robberies at egg freezing facilities across California in the past 7 years; no one's ever been able to catch the culprits, though," Riley noted.

"That explains the eggs, and sperm banks are known to sell their sperm to other banks or research institutions, which the cult could have easily disguised themselves as."

"The question is," Matty cut in, "what were they using them for?"

A new voice sounded over the comms. "Baby-makin', if this room is anything to go by; there's incubators and cribs galore over here, plus some contraptions that look like weird balloons, but with tubes attached." Jack's drawl was thick as he spoke. "Ya know, there are waaaaayyy easier ways to make babies, if ya know what I'm sayin'."

Mac glanced over at the lab cases, and double-taked to read one of the labels on the doors. "Not if you want to genetically modify them; one of these cases contains PHOENIX-cas16 nuclease."

"Say what now?"

"It's an enzyme used in gene editing, Frankie went wild for it while she was still working on her DNA sequencing technique back in 2015. It essentially cuts DNA apart so you can change it or remove it entirely. And by the looks of these cases, they were doing a ton of editing, hence the large collection of stolen cells."

"Well  _ that's _ not illegal at all," Riley remarked dryly.

"Do you think they were successful, Mac? Should we be looking for kids along with the adult cult members?" Matty could already be heard typing on her tablet as she spoke. Mac opened his mouth to answer, but Jack beat him to it.

"I can answer that question with a resounding  _ yes _ , Matty, cause I got the proof right here in front of me." A second later he switched to a syrupy-sweet voice, the kind people use when talking to very small children or beloved pets. "Who's a cute little test tube baby, huh? Is it you sweetheart?" 

Mac gaped, whipping his head around to face the wall separating the lab from the incubation room. His shock was echoed in the chorus in his comms.

"You found a  _ baby _ ?!?!?!"

* * *

Jack looked around the room suspiciously, on the look out for traps as he navigated around the incubators and beds. He didn't go near the walls and their weird balloon things, deciding to leave that to Mac, and instead focused on browsing the incubator area while he listened to the comm chatter. He didn't notice the tiny head that popped up above a crib, jolted from a heavy sleep by his voice. The infant blinked at him sleepily before maneuvering themself into a sitting position. Curious brown eyes watched the former Delta as he prowled around the room, and only announced their presence when Jack stubbed his toe and cursed lowly, which the baby giggled at.

Jack whipped his head around, pain forgotten as he turned towards the sound. "What the  _ hell _ ?" He exclaimed, only half-listening to the comms as he made his way quickly to the crib side of the room.

The baby clapped their hands happily at receiving Jack's attention, reaching for him as soon as he drew close enough. the Texan, meanwhile, searched rapidly around the crib for any indication of a name, or maybe sex; he found an information sheet on the side, but it didn't give a name, only a test number and sex (female). He looked back up at the kid, absently replying to Matty before cooing at the little girl.

"Yeah, you're a real cutie, aren't ya? And look at that, you've got a teeny-weeny mohawk, just like mine! Let's get you untangled from these sensors, yeah? Those meanie cultists might have left you behind, but ol' Jackie won't, I promise." He gently removed the tubes and IV lines that had been attached to her, which made the baby whimper briefly. Otherwise, though, she didn't make much sound, just watched Jack with those big brown eyes.

In a normal voice, Jack finally spoke over the cacophany on his comm. "Hey, looks like they were using some of the good stuff to keep her sedated, and she had a feeding tube that I'm detaching from the machine; I'll close it off so the Doc can remove it when we get back. And before you say anything, Matty, we are not leaving this baby here."

"Of course not," Matty replied. "Just don't get any ideas about adopting her; I'm sure you and Mac don't need a third kid."

Jack nodded. "You're right, you're right. ....still. There's something about this kid's smile, but I can't put my finger on it...." He stared at the baby pensively; she stared right back. Eventually he shrugged, picking her up and shifting until she was cradled against his shoulder. "Oh well, I'm sure it'll come to me. Anyways, there's not much in here except baby-keepin' equipment, so I'm gonna meet back up with Mac in the lab."

"Copy that, Jack. Riley's informing your exfil team to head to your location now with the equipment needed to transport the infant; Jill's prepping medical. Whenever you three think you've gotten enough Intel, you're free to go."

"I gotcha, boss lady." With that, Jack made his way to the door, opening it only to find Mac already on the other side.

The blonde gave a sheepish smile. "I wanted to see the baby in person, I didn't realize you were going to come to the lab." He focused his attention on the baby, giving her a wide smile. "Hey there sweetpea! Jack was right, you are pretty cute, especially with the little babyhawk." The baby laughed, reaching for Mac's hair, and suddenly a thought hit Jack like a ton of bricks.

"Mac, where exactly did this group get their sperm?"

Mac looked up, a question in his eyes. "Uh, I'm not sure; there might be a name on the tanks, I guess? Why do you ask?"

Jack looked at the baby, then back at Mac. "Just... Call it a hunch, yeah? I don't wanna spook ya until I know for sure."

Mac stood up and went to the lab door, opening it up for Jack and his tiny charge. "What, do you think you know who one of her, uh, 'parents' is?"

"As a matter of fact, yeah, I might."

Mac wasted no time in walking towards the tanks, inspecting each one for writing. "This one says Southward, this one over here is Lakeside..." Mac suddenly went very still. "Jack."

"It says LA Central Sperm Bank, doesn't it?" Mac slowly nodded, looking up at Jack and the baby with a shocked expression. "And Riley said they started getting this stuff like 7 years ago; that'd be just about right."

"Mac, Jack, you wanna let us in on the little secret? What did you do 7 years ago?" Matty was agitated as she spoke.

"I'm sayin', Matty, me 'n Mac may have made a trip to LA Central about 7 years ago, after he got back from Nigeria; I didn't think I'd ever get to have biological kids, not with me workin' for the Phoenix, but I figured I could help someone else have them. Mac went for solidarity, said it would be nice to help someone have some little blonde geniuses of their own."

"What, you think your sperm ended up in the batch that these cultists bought?"

"Maybe, but more importantly... I think Mac's did. Cause that's what was bugging me about this baby's smile: I'd seen it before. I've seen it every morning when I wake up for the past 6 years, and every time Brady's come home from school for the past 2. That patented Macgyver sunshine smile, wrapped up in a little bitty package. We'd have to get a DNA test to know for sure, but..."

"But your instincts say she's Mac's," Riley finished for him.

"Yeah."

Matty sighed. "Get her back here, then, let's get a sample going so we can know for sure. Exfil should be arriving at any moment. Call us if something changes, and please don't blow anything up; this whole building is evidence, plus those eggs need to go back to their rightful owners."

Mac and Jack both agreed, and started making their way back to the entrance where they'd started. Before they could step outside, however, Mac paused, and reached out to hold onto Jack's arm. The man turned, a question in his eyes.

"Jack... You know, even if she is... Mine, we... We probably can't keep her. We donated our sperm, we didn't store it for later; we knew going into it that we'd have no legal rights to the kids produced. But the egg that was used to make her... That was probably stolen. There's a woman out there that wanted to be a mother, and was saving her ability to do so somewhere she thought was safe. Then she thought she'd had that chance ripped away from her. When we take this DNA test, we need to find her and at least give her the option of taking the baby, it's only right." Mac looked at Jack imploringly. "We can take care of her now, but... Please, don't get too attached. It'll only hurt more in the long run."

Jack met his gaze after looking longingly down at the baby in his arms; she'd fallen into a nap a few minutes earlier. "I know, hoss," he replied quietly. "I know she can't really be ours, not unless the mom gives her up. I just... I can't help already loving her, even though it's only been a little bit. Must be that Macgyver charm." Mac chuckled wetly at that. "But it's alright, darlin', I know what we have to do, and I'll let her go... Eventually."

"Ok." With a final nod, both men made their way out the door towards the exfil jeep.

* * *

"Well, little missy, it seems like your stitches are holding up well! Your foster daddies must be taking very good care of you!" The Phoenix doctor that had been assigned to the baby poked at her tummy, causing her to let out a high-pitched giggle. Mac had a matching grin on his face from where he was holding her up.

It was a few days after the accidental acquisition of the baby they'd found, and so far she seemed to be doing well despite her odd beginnings in life. Mac and Jack had taken it upon themselves to foster her until the DNA test came back, and were staying at Mac's old house in LA for the duration. They debated bringing the kids up, since it was summer, but ultimately decided that Brady and Arista would be better off staying in Texas with Elizabeth, especially if the mission wrapped up quickly.

And it looked like that might be the case; the DNA results were expected any time, and a chance encounter with a cult member had brought her in to be questioned by Samantha Cage-Nguyen. It was only a matter of time before the rest of the cult was rounded up and their activities completely suspended.

"Hey guys! Is our little lady getting a clean bill of health?" Jack called as he walked in. The baby whipped her head around to see him and babbled happily at him, reaching out her little hands for a hug. Jack grinned widely and obliged her, walking over and lifting her from Mac's hands. She wasted no time in grabbing at his face and beard, which Jack accepted without argument.

"She's doing very well, yes! There doesn't seem to be any lingering effects from the malnutrition, and as I was just telling your husband her stitches are healing nicely." The doctor grinned widely, reaching out and tickling the infant under her chin. "She's the best patient I've ever had, present company included."

"Hey!"

"The doctor's right, Jack, we kinda suck at being good patients." Mac stood and moved toward the door, his phone in hand. "Hey, Jill says that the DNA results are in, they're running it through the database now to find the matching parents. Wanna meet her in the war room?"

Jack nodded, following him out the door. "See ya in a couple days, Doc!" He waved the baby's hand as a goodbye, and the doctor waved back with a soft chuckle.

* * *

The trio were greeted by Jill and Matty when they walked into the war room. "Hey!" Jill called happily, waving at the baby in Jack's arms. "The system just dinged with some potential matches, I'm pulling them up on-screen now." She glanced down at her tablet, but double-taked when she saw the results overview. "That's weird, though; it's showing it has... 3 matches? That can't be right."

Matty looked over at the tablet herself, frowning as well. "Pull up the results on the screen, see who we're matching with. Maybe there's a fluke in the results?"

Jill nodded and quickly brought up the results on the main screen. As soon as the results, including pictures of the most likely matches, showed up on the screen, all the adults in the room gasped in shock. Mac and Jack stared at the screen, then slowly looked down at the little girl who was upending their world. She, for her part, just pointed at the screen and giggled, recognizing the men up there.

"How in the  _ hell _ are we  _ both _ matching with this kid?!? Me 'n Mac are nothing alike! A kid can't have two biological dads, right?! I mean I wasn't that great at science in school but I remember that much." Jack was agitated as he spoke, gesturing wildly with the hand that wasn't full of baby.

Jill was tapping furiously on her tablet, scrolling through the results and looking at the percentages it showed. "I have no idea! But it's showing both of you as nearly 100% matches, and the woman on screen as about a 50% match. It shouldn't be possible; maybe the system glitched?"

"Based on the Intel I just got from our cult member, I don't think it did," a new voice called out. The others turned towards the door to find Sam standing in the doorway. Now having everyone's attention, she strode forward to explain. "According to her, they weren't just genetically modifying embryos and growing them in their artificial wombs; some of the members took on a side project, often using their own eggs, where they attempted to insert most of the genes from a sperm cell into an egg, and vice versa. The hope was to create children who had two fathers instead of a father and a mother, biologically speaking. They weren't hugely successful, but at least one embryo survived and grew into a healthy baby. Based on these results? I'd say your foster daughter is that baby."

The others were shocked. "I... Didn't think that was possible," Mac breathed.

Matty nodded. "I don't think anyone did." She turned to look at the screen. "While we may need a second opinion on that, to make sure we have all our facts straight and that no other kids like this were born, that leaves the question of who the mother is."

"I can answer that!" Jill pulled up the file on the woman on-screen. "According to our scouting agents she was another cult member, with a degree in molecular genetics. She seemed to be one of the lead scientists in the cult, actually. This report says there was an incident a couple months ago, however, and she accidentally got locked in the cryofreezer. By the time the others noticed she was gone it was too late, and she died of hypothermia."

The others listened somberly to Jill's statement; even the little one stayed quiet, watching Jill speak with curiosity.

"So she has no one else," Jack said quietly. He shared a look with his husband, and after a moment of silent conversation, Mac nodded minutely back. "Jill, does this baby have a birth record? Any evidence that she even exists?"

Jill did a quick search. "No, the cult didn't register any births with the state, either at-home or in a hospital. As far as the government is concerned, she doesn't exist."

"So there's nothing to say that we couldn't forge her birth as, say, Mac and Jack's daughter through a surrogate," Sam mused.

"We wouldn't even need to involve a hospital, we could just say it was an at-home birth with very little prenatal care," Mac added with a grin, turning his puppy eyes on Matty. "What do you think, Matty? You wanna help us have a baby?"

Matty looked nonplussed. "I'm not gonna be your surrogate, even on paper." She looked at the baby snuggled in Jack's arms, however, and softened. "But, yes, I suppose I can work some magic and register her as yours."

"I'll be your surrogate," Sam added. Jack and Mac both looked at her in shock. "What? I'm the most reasonable answer, considering I look so much like Mac; if anyone asks I wanted to help you guys out. That way we can list Jack as the biological father."

The two fathers shared another look before Jack turned towards Sam. "Really? You'd do that?"

Sam grinned. "Sure, it's just for a piece of paper so might as well go for it. Plus they might let her be a joint US-Australian citizen as a bonus."

"It's settled then, Jack will be listed as the biological father to explain the brown eyes and darker hair, and Sam will be listed as the surrogate biological mother to explain the smile and facial structure." Matty paused to confirm the story with all three agents, who nodded in agreement. "Now all we're going to need is a name. You gentlemen have any ideas, or would you like some time to think about it?"

Mac stepped forward, not looking at Jack as he replied. "We thought Eliza May would be best. Eliza May Dalton-Macgyver." He turned to smile at Jack, who only stared in shock. "She's a Dalton, after all; it only makes sense that we continue the Dalton tradition of repeating important names, albeit with a bit of adjustment." Jack's eyes misted over, and he let out a soft, wet chuckle even as he nodded.

Matty made a note in her tablet. "Eliza May Dalton-Macgyver, daughter of Angus Macgyver-Dalton, Jack Dalton-Macgyver Jr., And Samantha Cage-Nguyen, the latter two being her 'biological' parents. Alright, I'll get the forms started and let you guys know if I need any more input from you, or your signatures. Otherwise? You're dismissed."

* * *

"So, kids, we have a pretty big announcement for you and we didn't want to wait until we got home to tell you," Mac announced. He and Jack were in the middle of their daily video call with Elizabeth and the elder children. The newly-dubbed Eliza ("I'm gonna call her Ellie-May!" "Sounds like a plan, bud, it's fitting for her.") lay on a play mat behind them, happily gumming on a teething ring as she watched her little mobile spin and move above her.

"What is it, Daddy? Is it bad?" Brady asked earnestly.

"No no! It's nothin' bad, buddy, just... A big change," Jack was quick to reassure. He and Mac looked at each other, silently deciding to just go for it. "So... You know how we've been fostering Eliza? And that's why we had to stay in California for so long already?" Brady and Arista nodded curiously, while a smug smile slowly grew on Elizabeth's face.

"Well," Mac continued, "we found out that her biological mother has already passed away, leaving her alone in the world. So... Your Papa and I made the decision to pursue adopting her."

The elder kids gasped in delight. "A BABY SISTER!!" They shouted in unison before rapidly firing off questions and thoughts that Mac and Jack did their best to answer. Meanwhile Elizabeth's smug smile had appeared in full. An 'I told you so' conversation would come later, but for now she just listened happily as the others discussed their growing family animatedly.

Eliza May chewed on, content to be a happy baby surrounded by love and happiness in her unique little family.


End file.
